Our ambition: to be recognised as the best governed organisations in Wales

We want to be the best governed sector in Wales and are calling on you to strive for the highest standards of governance in your organisation.

Good governance is more than a set of rules and processes - good governance is good business too. Good governance is now seen as a pre-condition for meeting the challenges of poverty, sustainable development and social cohesion.

Good governance means having balanced and diverse boards which can lead your organisation and simultaneously control risk. However, effective governance is about more than the board. It is fundamentally about culture and a way of working that, if managed well, constantly evaluated, regulated and then used as a platform for innovation, equates with service excellence.

To support you to become the best governed organisations in Wales, CHC is strengthening our governance offer to you.

To support our members, CHC is:

• Launching a sector Code of Governance. CHC’s Code is designed to assist members to develop governance structures which facilitate behaviour change aimed at service improvement for tenants. It sets out the standards and practices that boards and their members must adhere to.
• Unveiling our new Come on Board site which is aimed at attracting exceptional candidates to board member vacancies in the housing sector in Wales. We know that some of our members have struggled to recruit board members with the skills and experience they need to provide strategic direction and manage risk effectively. Subsequently, some members have not achieved the board renewal requirements that are considered to be good practice and others have had vacancies for longer than desired. There is also a Stay on Board section for existing board members whose term is coming to an end or has ended to ensure that this experience is kept within the sector. 

Come on Board and the Code of Governance are crucial elements in helping to achieve our ambition of being recognised as the best governed organisations in Wales.

The link to the Come on board site is www.comeonboardwales.co.uk

The Code of Governance can be found on CHC’s website: http://chcymru.org.uk/en/board-members/code-of-governance/


Amanda Oliver
Head of Policy and Research

Ein huchelgais: cael ein cydnabod fel y sefydliadau gyda'r llywodraethiant gorau yng Nghymru

Rydym eisiau bod y sector gyda'r llywodraethiant gorau yng Nghymru ac rydym yn galw arnoch i anelu am y safon uchaf o lywodraethiant yn eich sefydliad.

Mae llywodraethiant da yn fwy na set o reolau a phrosesau - mae llywodraethiant da yn fusnes da hefyd. Caiff llywodraethiant da yn awr ei weld fel rhag-amod ar gyfer ateb heriau tlodi, datblygu cynaliadwy a chydlyniaeth gymdeithasol.

Mae llywodraethiant da yn golygu cael byrddau cytbwys ac amrywiol a all arwain eich sefydliad a rheoli risg ar yr un pryd. Fodd bynnag, mae llywodraethiant effeithlon yn ymwneud â mwy na'r bwrdd yn unig. Mae'n sylfaenol am ddiwylliant a ffordd o weithio sydd, os caiff ei reoli'n dda, ei werthuso'n gyson, ei reoleiddio ac wedyn ei ddefnyddio fel llwyfan ar gyfer arloesedd, yn gyfwerth â rhagoriaeth gwasanaeth.

I'ch cefnogi i ddod y sefydliadau a lywodraethir orau yng Nghymru, mae CHC yn cryfhau ein cynnig llywodraethiant i chi.

I gefnogi ein haelodau, mae CHC yn:

• Lansio Cod Llywodraethiant. Cynlluniwyd Cod CHC i gynorthwyo aelodau i ddatblygu strwythurau llywodraethiant sy'n hwyluso newid ymddygiad sydd â'r nod o wella gwasanaeth ar gyfer tenantiaid. Mae'n gosod y safonau ac arferion y mae'n rhaid i fyrddau a'u haelodau gydymffurfio â nhw. 
• Dadlennu ein safle Dewch ar y Bwrdd sydd â'r nod o ddenu ymgeiswyr eithriadol i leoedd gwag ar gyfer aelodau bwrdd yn y sector tai yng Nghymru. Gwyddom fod rhai o'n haelodau wedi ei chael yn anodd recriwtio aelodau bwrdd gyda'r sgiliau a'r profiad sydd eu hangen i roi cyfeiriad strategol a rheoli risg yn effeithlon. Fel canlyniad nid yw rhai aelodau wedi sicrhau y gofynion adnewyddu bwrdd a ystyrir yn arfer da a bu gan eraill leoedd gwag am fwy o amser nag a ddymunid. Mae adran Aros ar y Bwrdd ar gyfer aelodau bwrdd presennol y mae eu tymor ar fin dod i ben neu sydd a ddaeth i ben eisoes i sicrhau y cedwir y profiad yma o fewn y sector. 

Mae Dewch ar y Bwrdd a'r Cod Llywodraethiant yn elfennau hollbwysig wrth helpu i gyflawni ein huchelgais o gael ein cydnabod fel y sefydliadau gyda'r llywodraethiant gorau yng Nghymru.

Y ddolen i wefan Dewch ar y Bwrdd yw www.comeonboardwales.co.uk

Mae'r Cod Llywodraethiant ar gael ar wefan CHC: http://chcymru.org.uk/cy/board-members/code-of-governance/


Amanda Oliver
Pennaeth Polisi ac Ymchwil

Wales’ Collective Energy Switch – helping to reduce energy use

Wales is a small country. One that often punches above its weight, but also one that is able to bring partners together and set up national schemes that can make a real difference.

With awareness of energy costs at its highest, and set to become a key element of the forthcoming General Election campaigns, Wales is embarking on its third collective energy switch.

With the support of the Welsh Government and partners across Wales, the collective energy switch has been developed to ensure the best deal for Welsh householders.

The idea behind collective energy switching is similar to bulk-buying products to get a better price. In a collective energy switch, those interested in receiving a better deal group together as a ‘collective' before approaching the energy suppliers. The larger the number of households that get involved, the more attractive the group of customers are likely to be to the energy suppliers.

The Energy Saving Trust in Wales is working in partnership with Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan Councils to deliver Cyd Cymru / Wales Together.

Esther Tallent, Energy Saving Trust’s Advice Centre Manager, said: “Keeping an eye on energy costs and switching supplier when a better deal is available can potentially benefit everyone. Last year, Cyd Cymru / Wales Together helped over 1,500 households in Wales to switch to a cheaper energy tariff, saving £185 per household on average.

“What is also particularly interesting is that those people who are keen to monitor their energy costs are also keen to reduce the energy they use. We therefore take the opportunity, when supporting our registered households, to provide a range of energy saving tips and information about other schemes and grants that can support them.

“The Wales-wide scheme has really captured people’s imaginations and it’s proved to be a great vehicle to help people save energy.”

More information on Cyd Cymru / Wales Together can be found here.

Register online before Sunday 1st March or call 0800 093 5902 before Friday 27th February to ensure that you are part of the next collective. Phone lines are open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.

Nick Beasley, Marketing and Communications Manager
Energy Saving Trust

“Trust me, I’m a housing professional...”

This week at the Welsh NHS Confederation conference, the menu of topics is interesting and timely. How do we set up our workforce in an integrated way? How do we bring about meaningful change for those we serve? How do we move from rhetoric to reality?

As a policy professional working in the housing association sector in Wales, I’m keenly interested in all of the above. I was recently invited, on behalf of Community Housing Cymru, to contribute to Welsh Government’s “Making Prudent Healthcare Happen” online resource, which is a collection of essays exploring the challenges and opportunities of this new way of working.

The services provided by housing associations, in terms of high quality housing, care and support services, community initiatives, employment and skills, and digital inclusion, are but some examples of the broad work taking place to improve health and work to reduce the number of people requiring the services of their GP or local A&E. The housing association sector and people working within it are able to provide legitimate solutions to the mounting challenges faced by the NHS and, more broadly, public services in Wales.

Housing associations work in some of the most deprived communities in Wales. When we think about how we work as public facing services to combat factors such as unemployment, education, and inactivity which we know have a substantial impact on health and wellbeing, housing associations are a key part of the formula for addressing such issues.

But the carpet is being pulled from underneath us as a housing sector. Salami slicing cuts to vital services such as the Supporting People Programme are threatening to further push people into NHS services who may otherwise have received a preventative, person centred service at a far earlier stage.

The Welsh Government budget for 2015/16 confirmed a £10m cut to Supporting People, reducing it to £124m. In real terms, this means that over 4,000 people will now go without the support they could have accessed if the fund were protected. The £10m cut is the equivalent of annual funding to provide all services for men and women at risk of domestic abuse and young people with support needs in the Vale and Cardiff. In addition, supporting people services provide a well-used referral route for hospital move-on teams, freeing up hospital beds and resources.

At a time when we need a strong “prevention sector” in Wales, we cannot afford an environment of disinvestment that undervalues the key work of organisations delivering Supporting People services.

Although the prudent healthcare work demonstrates the value, the opportunities and the enthusiasm for things to change, these words mean nothing without action from all sides.

If through prudent healthcare we’re entrusting people to look after themselves and to make positive health behaviours part of their regular habits, then it’s also vital to trust the ability of the housing association sector to support and work closely with the NHS in meeting the challenges it faces both now and in the future.

In our recent economic impact report you can see some case studies (p16-18) which demonstrate the prudent nature of the housing associations sector. Taff Housing addressing delayed transfer of care, and Melin Homes working with a collaborative to re-invent Continuing Healthcare packages in Gwent. Consistency is key, however, and we will know we are on the right track once we are able to call projects such as these common practice rather than best.

Matt Kennedy
Policy Officer: Care, Support and Health  

Out of Stock: The Future of Right to Buy in Wales

Right to Buy, introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1980, has helped thousands of people in Wales to buy their social homes at a discounted rate. However, this has come at a detriment to Wales’ struggling social housing stock. Over the lifetime of Right to Buy, more than 130,000 homes have been bought at a discount and removed from the social sector altogether, accounting for a 45% decrease in the number of social homes across Wales. This is something Wales simply cannot afford. Affordable and social housing are a vital safety net for the most vulnerable in our society and, with Wales being disproportionately affected by welfare changes, this safety net is now more important than ever. Right to Buy has contributed to a lack of availability and to the backlog of people languishing on housing lists across Wales.

The Community Housing Cymru Group welcomes Labour’s proposal to end Right to Buy, should they win the next Welsh Assembly elections, with the reservation that this measure is like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted – we have an affordable housing crisis in Wales and ending Right to Buy will not build more homes. Ending Right to Buy needs to be part of a bigger approach to tackling Wales’ chronic housing problem including more use of public land for affordable housing development, more planning freedoms and a sustained programme of investment. The Legislative Competence Order already provides Welsh Ministers with the power to allow councils to refuse Right to Buy requests in areas where there is high demand for affordable housing, as has been done in Carmarthenshire. CHC has signed a Housing Supply Pact with the Welsh Government and will continue to work with members and Welsh Government to deliver the affordable housing target of 10,000 homes by 2016 to help ease the pressures of low housing stock and a backlog of unmet housing need.

To own a home is a great ambition but to have a home to go to is essential – ending Right to Buy will help meet the needs of many but it is only a small part of what is a big problem.

The Welsh Government has opened a consultation on the future of Right to Buy and Right to Acquire which will close on 16th April 2015.

Liam Townsend
Political and Administration Assistant

Confensiwn Cyfansoddiadol Torfol

Ar gyfer y rhai ohonoch a oedd yng Nghynhadledd Flynyddol CHC ym mis Tachwedd y llynedd, efallai y cofiwch i Matthew Taylor a Lee Waters ill dau ein herio fel sector i roi'r gorau i aros i eraill newid neu wneud pethau a mynd yn ein blaenau a'i wneud ein hunain ..

Daeth y galwad ar amser pan oedd yr addewidion cyfansoddiadol a wnaed i bobl yr Alban yn dilyn y refferendwm yn ysgogi trafodaeth llawer ehangach am y pwerau sydd gennym ac, yn bwysicaf, y pwerau rydym eu heisiau yma yng Nghymru. Ynghyd â'r heriau sy'n ein hwynebu ni fel sector a thenantiaid, ymddangosai y byddid yn colli'r cyfle a ddaw yn sgil yr Etholiad Cyffredinol nesaf pe na wneir y galwadau cywir yn y meysydd hynny nad oedd wedi eu datganoli sy'n cael cymaint o effaith ar ein cymunedau. Felly, oherwydd hyn, penderfynodd CHC ddod yn bartner yng Nghonfensiwn Cyfansoddiadol Torfol y Sefydliad Materion Cymreig.

Mae hon yn drafodaeth am ddyfodol Cymru. Nid yw cyfeiriad teithio'r drafodaeth hon yn rhywbeth pendant a gwahoddwn bobl i ymateb i'r drafft gynllun. Bydd CHC yn cymryd rhan ym mhob agwedd ond byddwn yn benodol yn hwyluso'r drafodaeth am 'Beth sy'n gwneud Cymru yn wlad decach?' Rhagwelwn y bydd rhai rhannau o'r wladwriaeth les yn ffocws allweddol yn y drafodaeth yma. Yn CHC, rydym eisiau trosi'r trafodaethau am y cyfansoddiad, datganoli a phwerau i realaeth darpariaeth. Fel sector, mae gennym ddealltwriaeth fanwl o'r polisïau, prosesau a gweithdrefnau presennol sy'n ymwneud â meysydd allweddol llesiant ac yn hollbwysig yn deall eu heffaith uniongyrchol ar unigolion a chymunedau. Felly, pan ofynnwn 'Sut olwg ydyn ni eisiau ar ein cymunedau?', byddwn hefyd yn gofyn, 'Beth sy'n ein hatal rhag cael hynny?' a 'Beth sydd angen ei newid?'

Felly yn ystod yr wyth wythnos nesaf, gobeithiwn y byddwch yn cymryd rhan ac yn annog eich cydweithwyr, cyfeillion a'ch teulu i ddweud eu barn ac ymuno â'r drafodaeth i lunio Cymru decach.

Dewch yn eich blaen, am beth ydych chi'n aros? ... Caniatâd?!


Sioned Hughes
Cyfarwyddydd Polisi ac Adfywio

Crowd Sourced Constitutional Convention

For those of you who were at CHC’s Annual Conference in November last year, you may recall both Matthew Taylor and Lee Waters challenging us as a sector to stop waiting for others to change things or stop waiting for others to do things and get on and do it ourselves...

This call came at a time when the constitutional promises that had been made to the people of Scotland following the referendum were generating a much broader debate about the powers we have and, more importantly, the powers we want here in Wales. Couple this with the challenges we as a sector and tenants are facing, and it seemed that the forthcoming General Election would be a lost opportunity if we didn’t make the right calls for change in those non devolved areas which have such an impact on our communities. So, for this reason, CHC made the decision to become a partner in the Institute of Welsh Affairs' Crowd Sourced Constitutional Convention.

This is a debate about the future of Wales. The direction of travel for this debate is not set in stone and we are inviting people to respond to the draft plan. CHC will be involved in all aspects but we will specifically be facilitating the discussion around ‘What makes Wales a fairer country?’. We anticipate certain parts of the welfare state being a key focus in this debate. At CHC, we want to translate the discussions around constitution, devolution and powers into the reality of delivery. As a sector, we have an in depth understanding of existing policies, processes and procedures surrounding key areas of welfare and crucially understand the direct impact they have on individuals and communities. Therefore, when we ask ‘What do we want our communities to look like?', we’ll also be asking, 'What’s stopping us from getting there?' and 'What needs to change?'.

So during the next eight weeks, we hope you will get involved and that you will encourage your colleagues, friends and family to share their views and join the debate to shape a fairer Wales.

Go on, what are you waiting for? ... Permission?!


Sioned Hughes
Director of Policy and Regeneration

A call for action!

We have always maintained that the UK Government’s welfare reform programme will have devastating consequences for communities in Wales.

It therefore came as no surprise when a recent Wales Audit Office report published evidence stating that welfare reform is having an adverse and disproportionate effect in Wales. The report found that a greater proportion of Welsh social housing tenants have had their housing benefit reduced than elsewhere in the UK, with 51% of tenants reporting an increase in personal debt. This was backed by evidence from social landlords showing a £5.3m increase in rent arrears in the first six months of the removal of the spare room subsidy and the introduction of the benefit cap.

For some Welsh social housing tenants, the welfare changes will have created a level of hardship and a spiral of social and economic deprivation that will be hard, if not impossible, to break.

This is easier to understand in the context of:

·                     higher (on average) unemployment than anywhere in the UK

·                     a heavy reliance on the public sector as an employer

·                     households paying 5% more for electricity than the rest of UK 

·                     higher rates of digital exclusion than other UK regions - 39% of social housing tenants have no access to PC 

·                     a five-fold increase in the use of foodbanks over the last 2 years – 29.7% by people who had experienced welfare benefit delays

·                     a £4.1m cut in specialist advice services, despite increasing need 

In 2013, the Welsh Affairs Select Committee also published evidence highlighting how the spare room subsidy had been a “policy failure” in the Welsh Valleys where, effectively, a social housing tenant moving to a smaller property in the private rented sector would cost the tax payer more money.  

  

So what are social landlords doing?

60% of Welsh social landlords have reported an increase in management costs as they refocus their resources to manage welfare changes. Most landlords are also prioritising tenants affected by the spare room subsidy to move, more tenant profiling, providing low level money advice and budgeting services, and investing significant amounts of money in awareness raising, and have programmes in place to help tenants back into work. A rise in rent arrears and the increased costs of managing welfare changes still means, however, that Welsh housing associations and local authorities are struggling to find effective and sustainable solutions to the challenges they face.

These challenges will be exacerbated by direct payments and the roll out of Universal Credit unless action is taken now. We need more control over welfare and the flexibility to provide: 

·                     choice to tenants about payment options 

·                     more investment in specialist services such as Your Benefit Are Changing - a service that demonstrates high levels of success in mitigating the worst effects of welfare reform

·                     local solutions tailored to local needs  

CHC and others have been highlighting the negative impact of welfare reform on Wales for some time and we will continue to make the call for a fairer welfare system for Wales to prevent further deprivation. Prevention is always better, and definitely more cost effective, than cure.

Amanda Oliver
Head of Policy and Research

You can read the CHC Group’s response to the report here, and you can read the report itself here